3 h. ago Russia launches deadly barrage on Ukraine after Putin–Trump summit shelved

Russia launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as the latest peace attempts by US President Donald Trump appeared to be floundering. The attack killed at least six civilians, including two children, with more than a dozen injured across the country in the early hours of Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. Zelensky said that 10 regions came under attack, including Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, adding that while the attack primarily targeted energy...

Politics

13 h. ago Trump says Ukraine talks with Putin off for now, doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he doesn’t want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I don’t want to have...

Politics

14 h. ago Can Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

14 h. ago Can Donald Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

23 h. ago Why Trump’s ‘best for business’ diplomacy will fail with Russia or China

“All I’ve done all my life is deals,” US President Donald Trump told the Gaza peace summit, going on to say “maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all”. Trump has cultivated his image on being the greatest deal-maker, a legacy central to his identity as a business tycoon and now fundamental to his reputation as a world leader. The ceasefire in Gaza has been framed as a crowning achievement in this repertoire. “Together we’ve achieved what everyone said was impossible, but at long...

Politics

27 h. ago Can Scott Bessent see China’s trade counterstrike with clear eyes?

After a video call last Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng are expected to meet in Malaysia this week to hopefully ease tensions before US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping potentially meet on the sidelines of this year’s Apec summit. The meeting was in doubt when Trump threatened to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on China, despite later relenting that it might not be sustainable. Washington blamed Beijing for the escalation,...

Events

51 h. ago Will Zelensky join Trump and Putin in Budapest for peace talks? Only if invited

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would be ready to join Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump at their summit in Hungary if he is invited. Trump and Putin said they would meet in the Hungarian capital, possibly in a matter of weeks, as the US leader continues to try to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year war, triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. “If I am invited to Budapest – if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three...

Politics

64 h. ago Trump urged Zelensky to cut a deal with Putin or risk facing destruction

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine in a White House meeting on Friday, warning that President Vladimir Putin threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it did not comply, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. During the meeting, Trump insisted Zelensky surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, repeatedly echoing talking points the Russian president had made in their call a day...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump meets Zelensky, says he hopes Tomahawks won’t be needed to end war

US President Donald Trump appeared cool on Friday on the prospect of sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, suggesting to counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House meeting that they may not be necessary if he can broker a peace deal. Zelensky came to Washington looking for arms to bolster his country’s forces in Ukraine’s three-year-old conflict with Russia, but Trump frequently highlighted his peace summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a matter of weeks, as Trump...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump urged to attend Quad Summit in India to showcase US leadership, counter China: ‘Beijing most serious challenge’

Trump urged to attend Quad Summit in India to showcase US leadership, counter China: ‘Beijing most serious challenge’  Mint

Politics

5 d. ago Trump speaks with Putin as Zelensky presses for Tomahawk missiles

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he considers Ukraine’s push for long-range missiles, according to a White House official who was not authorised to comment on the private call and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The call comes ahead of Trump’s meeting on Friday at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader has been pressing Trump to sell Kyiv Tomahawk missiles, which would allow Ukrainian...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump speaks with Putin as Ukraine’s Zelensky presses for Tomahawk missiles

US President Donald Trump is speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he considers Ukraine’s push for long-range missiles. Trump said in a social media post late on Thursday morning that he was engaged in a lengthy phone call with Putin and would give an update on what they talked about as soon as it was over. The call comes ahead of Trump’s meeting on Friday at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader has been pressing Trump to sell Kyiv...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump to meet Putin in Hungary, as Ukraine presses for Tomahawk missiles

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will meet again with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. A date has not been set, but Trump wrote on social media that the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary. “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump wrote after talking to Putin. They previously met in Alaska in August, which did not produce a diplomatic breakthrough. Before Trump and Putin meet, US officials led by...

Politics

9 d. ago Hamas releases 20 living hostages as Trump declares Gaza war over

Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under a ceasefire agreement, as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza. In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of those who had not survived was palpable. The releases are part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump, with Israel due in return to free nearly 2,000...

Events

9 d. ago Trump, hailed in Israel, declares Gaza war ‘over’ as hostages return in ceasefire

Israel said the last 20 surviving hostages returned home on Monday after two years in captivity in Gaza, as US President Donald Trump received a standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers after brokering a ceasefire with Hamas. Trump’s lightning visit to Israel came ahead of a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh co-chaired by the American president, who has declared the war in Gaza “over”. In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd that gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears...

Events

1 week ago Malaysia braces for a volatile Asean summit with Trump centre stage

Just weeks ago, securing US President Donald Trump’s attendance at this month’s Asean summit was seen by many as a diplomatic masterstroke by Malaysia’s leader. But the fanfare surrounding the notoriously fickle American president’s impending arrival in Southeast Asia has since faded, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s apparent triumph of statesmanship transforming into a high-wire act fraught with risk. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ next summit is set to be held in...

Politics

1 week ago Melania Trump says she secured return of Ukrainian children via Putin talks

US first lady Melania Trump said on Friday she had secured the release of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia after establishing an extraordinary back channel of communication with President Vladimir Putin. In a rare public announcement at the White House, she revealed weeks of behind the scenes diplomacy with the Kremlin chief after he held a summit in Alaska with her husband, US President Donald Trump. Eight children displaced by Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine had been returned to their...

Politics

1 week ago China Tightens Rare Earth Export Controls Ahead Of Crucial Trump

China Tightens Rare Earth Export Controls Ahead Of Crucial Trump-Xi Summit In South Korea  Swarajyamag

Politics

1 week ago ‘I only care about Thailand’: PM snubs Trump’s Cambodia border mediation

Donald Trump has urged Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to pursue a peaceful resolution to the country’s simmering border conflict with Cambodia, as the US president looked to bolster his credentials for a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump’s push for a Thai-Cambodian peace deal was made in a letter to the Thai prime minister on Wednesday, coming just days before his planned trip to the region to attend a summit of leaders from Asean in Malaysia later this month. Trump’s intervention earlier this...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump to face uncompromising Xi at APEC summit, warns China expert

Trump to face uncompromising Xi at APEC summit, warns China expert  Washington Times

Events